Badge of Impurity
by ancazur
Summary: En route to the Tower of Guidance, Stefan finds himself mentor to a new - and much younger - like-minded companion.
1. Chapter 1

The farther they traveled into Begnion, the more the army had to shield their eyes. The glowing façade of the Tower of Guidance literally blinded them—soldiers felt for the person in front of them for a sense of direction. It wasn't until they sought shelter, camping in the alleyways of the mighty theocracy, that they were offered some relief. The surrounding buildings blocked the direct light, though the Tower's brilliance illuminated the night sky like the midday sun.

Stefan set up camp against a brick wall, lucky enough to find a spot amongst the hoards of soldiers. There was no room to lie down, but he was satisfied enough to sit as he slept. But the Tower's light was hard to ignore as it illuminated the insides of his eyelids.

He was startled to feel a small hand on his shoulder. He opened one eye to see a child standing beside him, their faces nearly eye-level.

She was a cute one. Her large eyes were dark and pleading, her magenta hair pulled into two pigtails. Despite his fatigue, Stefan grinned. His ease seemed to relax her, too; she broke into a wide smile.

"Are you lost?" Stefan asked, putting his big hand over hers.

She shook her head. "I'm staying with kitty-cat man. But he has a war meeting now."

_Kitty-cat man?_

"You shouldn't be out here all by yourself," he said.

She pulled her hand out from beneath his, picking at the hem of her shirt. "I know. But . . ." She sniffled. "I can't find mommy, and daddy can't move, and I thought you . . ."

"Hey now." Stefan slipped an arm around her waist, which immediately brought back that smile. "You stay with me. Can you let kitty-cat man know? I don't want him to worry."

"Okay!" She wiggled out of his grasp. "I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere!"

Her pigtails bounced as she ran back to camp. Watching her go, Stefan wondered why he hadn't felt their connection sooner—it had been a long time since he found a fellow Branded so young. But why hadn't he sensed her, and how did she come to find him? Could she, though inexplicitly, sense her own kind as well?

When the girl returned—he soon learned her name was Amy—she burrowed in his lap, quickly falling into a steady sleep. Slowly, as to not wake her, Stefan peeled off his outer coat to tuck in around her. He ran a finger down one of her pigtails, feeling the coils of her soft, braided hair. The girl seemed to know her parents, though he wondered if they were biological. How much could she know? Did she understand what the mark on her body meant?

With Amy safely tangled within his coat, Stefan finally fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Amy's reunion with her mother the following day was short-lived. Calill was scheduled to ascend the Tower, but the girl's anxiety was quickly diminished when discovering Stefan would not be joining them.

"_Someone_ has to protect the people out here," he said, as Amy's tiny hand gripped his thumb.

He wouldn't permit Amy to watch the group enter the Tower. Stefan hiked her up on his hip, giving Calill a small nod as he walked away from its light. Amy wiggled her head against his clavicle, softly whimpering.

Even though battle thrilled him, he was relieved for the break. Reborn soldiers were always a surprise attack, but the army was organized to keep watch in shifts. With both Calill and Ranulf in the Tower, Amy had become his responsibility alone. Perhaps the army wouldn't notice if he didn't take his shift.

Amy was keeping herself occupied with Stefan's hair. It was slightly matted with sweat from war, but it didn't stop her from mussing it. She giggled each time she patted his head and let go, spreading her arms wide, as Stefan's hair sprang up wildly about his head.

"It's so _shiny_!" she said, pressing her forehead against his.

He smirked, ducked away from her, and flipped one of her pigtails.

"Hey," she said, suddenly solemn, as she plopped into his lap. "What's that?" Her index finger was pressed against his forehead.

Stefan was sitting cross-legged, and Amy wriggled herself in the space where his calves intersected. With their faces so close, her query came as no surprise. He wasn't alarmed; he hoped she would notice. "Go ahead," he said. "You can see it."

Timidly, Amy pushed his hair back. She tilted her head, staring at his forehead, and firmly pressed the Brand over and over again with the tip of her finger. "I have one of those, too," she said. "Though mine's a little different. Wanna see?"

Before he could reply, she pushed up her sleeve. The Brand could be on any area of the body; he had certainly seen his fair share in more _private_ areas. He thanked Ashera—_That's a first!_ he thought with a chuckle—that this child's was only on her shoulder.

She watched Stefan place a hand on her shoulder, tentatively at first, but then he traced the lines of her Brand. It made her giggle. She was right; they _were_ similar. Could she be lion-blooded as well?

"It's beautiful," he said, his voice low.

When he turned away from it, Amy let her sleeve fall. "Mommy and daddy said I shouldn't show anyone, because some people don't like it. But you like it, right? Because you have one too?"

Stefan squeezed his eyes shut, swallowing the pain that rose in his throat. _Do I like it? _he thought. He loved it. He loved it and he hated it. But when he looked at Amy again, he couldn't help but smile.

"Yes," he said, finally. "Of course. But your mom and dad are right. You shouldn't show others. I'm safe," he said, brushing aside his fringe. "But you should be careful of other people."

"Why?" She gathered the ends of his coat to wrap around herself. "Why wouldn't they like it?"

He looked down at her, running a finger down the part in her hair, partially as a distraction. "People who don't have one can be mean to you. They don't like things they don't understand. Be careful, Amy. There aren't many who have what you and I do."

"But what _is_ it?" she asked, releasing his coat to roll up her sleeve again. She craned her neck to stare at her shoulder. "I won't tell anyone, I promise."

Amy wasn't looking at him; she was engrossed in the mark on her shoulder. Was this his responsibility? But who else would tell her? He engulfing her head with his big hand—she yelped in delight—and kissed her forehead. "It's called a Brand."

* * *

Amy understood surprisingly well, not that Stefan went into much detail. He had little desire to explain _how_ laguz and beorc blood mixed, but she seemed satisfied enough knowing that his ancestry included a lion.

"That's so neat!" she said, bouncing on his thigh. "So are you super strong? Can you roar?"

"I didn't inherit the roaring, unfortunately," he said, with a small smile. "But _I_ think I'm strong." He lifted her with one arm, her stomach balanced on the palm of his hand. She waved her arms and legs wildly, screeching in joy, then grabbed his head when he pretended to drop her. She fell, unhurt, into his lap.

"But I don't get why people don't _like_ it," she said, still fixated on this dislike. Whenever he tried to steer the conversation away from it, she brought her unanswered question back to the forefront.

"I don't know, either," Stefan said, flicking her pigtails. "But for now, it's better that people don't know. It can be our secret."

She craned her neck up, smiling broadly at him. "Okay! I can keep a secret."

_Splendid, my dear_, he thought, resting his chin on her head.


End file.
